


Where Your Heart Is

by gryvon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Christmas Fluff, Injury Recovery, M/M, School Dances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21950707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryvon/pseuds/gryvon
Summary: Steve has an instant crush on the new kid.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 20
Kudos: 244
Collections: 2019 Captain America/Iron Man Holiday Exchange





	Where Your Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nanasekei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanasekei/gifts).



Steve looks up as he hears Coach Hill say his name. There’s a small kid with black hair, thick glasses, and a baggy sweater looking in Steve’s direction. His right arm is in a sling, which explains why Hill’s pointing him toward the bleachers. The kid pulls a small rolling case behind him as he heads over. 

“Hi,” Steve says as soon as the kid is near. He’s new, not just to gym class but to their school. Steve definitely would have noticed someone that handsome wandering the halls. He waves instead of offering a hand to shake. “I’m Steve.”

“Tony,” the kid says. He climbs up the bleachers, pulling his case behind him, until he reaches Steve’s level. There’s a hesitant pause before Tony sits, near enough to chat easily but too far to reach. The carefully measured distance makes Steve wonder—is Tony reluctant to be seen with small, sickly Steve or just unsure of his welcome.

There’s one quick way to find out.

“Welcome.” Tony looks at Steve with a mix of surprise and curiosity. Steve blushes and ducks his head, suddenly nervous when Tony’s pretty brown eyes are turned full-focus on him. “To school, I mean.” He waves a hand to encompass the gymnasium and Avengers Academy at large. “You’re new. Or at least, I’m assuming. I haven’t seen you around before, is all.”

“Oh.” Tony looks down and pulls a thick textbook out of his rolling case. There are a couple books inside the case, some notebooks, and a clear Ziploc bag with prescription pill bottles. It’s better than a backpack, Steve supposes, considering Tony’s injury. Probably a lot easier to deal with one-handed. “Yeah,” Tony says. “I am.”

Their classmates begin to filter up from the locker rooms. Bucky, Sam, and Natasha wave. Steve waves back. “Did you just transfer here?”

Tony glances at Steve and then turns back to the textbook spread open in his lap. “Um, yeah. I did.”

Steve knows when to take a hint and Tony’s short answers give him the impression that Tony’s more interested in his book than talking. “Sorry. I talk a lot. ‘S just, it gets boring, sitting out while everyone else runs around having fun.”

Tony snorts. It’s an ungraceful sound and it brings a blush to Tony’s face as he brings his free hand up to cover his mouth, as if he could stifle the sound that’s already out. “Trust me, you’re not missing much. I’d much rather have the period to study than play basketball.”

Steve shrugs. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve got a bad heart and half a dozen other chronic conditions, so I only get to participate in the really easy stuff, like the floor routines in the gymnastics section or walking the track. Sometimes Hill lets me play table tennis, if I’m having a good day and I’ve got a partner who will go easy.”

“Me too.”

Steve turns sideways on the bleacher to stare at Tony. He looks healthy, aside from his arm. Now that Tony’s closer, Steve can see the red cast around his forearm.

Tony taps his chest. “I was...” His face works through a complicated array of emotion before settling on a sad smile. “...injured. My heart’s not right. I’ve got a pacemaker. I’m supposed to be sitting out gym class for the rest of the semester, probably the whole year.”

It would be bad to grin after hearing about Tony’s injury, right? But Steve can’t help but feel a little glad that he’s going to have company during gym.

“What’s your class schedule like?” Steve asks. He’s got this naïve hope that he’ll have a few classes with Tony. Maybe he can even convince Tony to join him for lunch.

“Um...” Tony closes his textbook and sets it on the bleacher in front of them. While he’s rifling in his bag for his schedule, Steve glances at the cover of the textbook. He doesn’t recognize it as anything from his classes. Is Tony a year ahead of him? They seem to be about the same age.

“Found it!” Tony pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to Steve.

Four periods are listed as independent study with their science teachers—Dr. Erskine, Dr. Pym, Dr. Selvig, and Dr. Yinsen. “You have English with me and Wanda. History should be with Sam, Bucky, and Thor.” He was surprised to see Tony was in the third year of French. “French is with T’Challa and Natasha.”

“All friends of yours, I assume?”

Steve nods. He hands Tony’s schedule back and points out Bucky, Sam, and Natasha. Bucky and Sam are goofing around, slapping the ball out of each other’s hand more often than they try to make a shot. Natasha’s dominating the game over on the girls’ side of the room. 

“We have lunch together if you’d like me to introduce you?” He desperately hopes Tony says yes. “They’re all pretty friendly. I’m sure any of them would be glad to help if you need anything. The school’s a bit of a maze so it can be hard finding your way around if you’re not used to it.”

“Thanks,” Tony says. “That’d be nice.”

Steve’s grin nearly splits his face. He can’t wait to introduce Tony to his friends and hopefully get to know Tony a bit better in the process.

* * *

“You,” Bucky says as he slides into the seat next to Steve, “are an idiot.”

Steve glares at his best friend and hastily swallowed the bite of his sandwich currently in his mouth so he can ask, “Why now?”

Bucky stretches his arm across Steve shoulders, pulling him close to point across the cafeteria where Tony is waiting in the lunch line with Natasha. “That. That is why.”

Something Natasha says makes Tony laugh, the full-bodied, throw his head back laugh that he does when something funny hits him out of the blue. It’s absolutely adorable.

“That, and this.” Bucky waves his hand in a circle in front of Steve’s face. “This heart-eyed thing you’ve got going on is stupid. So stupid.”

Steve huffs and shoves Bucky away. “Shut up.”

Clint drops into the seat across from Steve with a smirk. “So eloquent. I can see why you’re on the debate team.”

“You shut up too,” Steve says. His shoulders come up involuntarily. Bucky always teases him when he does that, saying he’s like a turtle hiding in its shell when he gets defensive.

“You’ve been pining over Tony for _months_ ,” Bucky whines. “It’s sad. Pathetic. I can’t stand to watch it anymore.”

Steve glares. “Tony hasn’t even been here a whole month.”

“The point-“ Clint says loudly, overriding Steve’s protest by sheer volume. Steve ducks lower in his seat when Tony and Natasha turn to see what the commotion is. “-is that you need to ask him out. Seriously. Do it. Do it now.”

“But...” Steve’s entire face goes red. He wants to slide under the table and hide from this conversation. “I can’t just... He’s- He’s _Tony Stark_ and I’m just some asthmatic kid from Brooklyn. He wouldn’t even know I existed if we didn’t sit out of gym together.”

Bucky turns to face Steve. He takes both of Steve’s hands and regards him with utter seriousness. “Steve, I love you like a brother, but I swear, if you don’t ask him to the Christmas dance, I will.”

Steve’s response is forestalled by the arrival of Tony, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor. Tony grins and bumps against Steve’s shoulder as he takes his usual seat next to Steve. “What’s got you all worked up today?”

Clint grins and opens his mouth but Steve cuts him off with a hasty, “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

“He’s lying,” Natasha says, oh so helpfully, from her seat next to Clint.

“You weren’t even here!”

Natasha arches an eyebrow and gives him an are-you-kidding-me-right-now look. “I don’t need to be.”

Steve’s mouth works soundlessly while he tries to think of an excuse that won’t make Tony suspicious. Well, more suspicious.

“We were just talking about the Christmas Dance,” Bucky says, pouring on the charm thick. “Have you found a date yet, because-“ The rest of Bucky’s sentence is cut off with a harsh cough as Steve elbows Bucky in the side. Hard.

“Oh.” Tony’s entire body slumps with sadness. He pushes the spaghetti on his plate around with his fork. “I can’t go.”

“What?” This is the first Steve’s heard Tony mention not going. They’ve talked about it around him, but he usually dodges the subject when any of them ask about his preparations. Natasha and Wanda had gone shopping over the weekend for their dresses. Sam and Thor have been debating who they wanted to ask, though they all know Thor really wants to go with Jane Foster. Steve had assumed Tony was going, along with the rest of their friends group.

Tony stares down at his plate. He seems so sad. Steve leans against Tony’s shoulder in silent support, earning him a weak smile. “I’m not allowed.”

They’re all on first-name basis with Tony’s driver and butler, but none of them have ever met Tony’s parents. They all know of them. It’s hard not to know about tech mogul Howard Stark, owner and CEO of Stark Industries. Steve had nearly had a panic attack when he’d learned Tony’s last name. Despite pulling Tony fairly deep into their social circle, none of them have ever seen Tony’s parents, even when they’d been to Tony’s house.

It’s always made Tony’s house—mansion, really—seem sad.

Tony rubs at his chest. It’s a gesture Steve’s come to associate with Tony’s anxiety.

“That’s okay,” Steve says. He throws an arm over Tony’s shoulder and gives him a one-sided hug. “We can do something else. Do you want to stay in and watch movies instead?”

“What?” Tony’s head snaps up. He shakes his head frantically. “No, it’s fine. You should go. You should all go, you’ve been looking forward to it and I’m just...” Tony plasters on that fake smile he wears for the press. Steve hates that smile. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got some reading Erskine wanted me to do and I’ve been talking with Dr. Pym about this experiment. I’ve got a really full plate, actually, so it’s better if I don’t go, honestly. Gives me a night to catch up.”

None of them call Tony out on the obvious lie. Bruce asks Tony about Pym’s experiment, steering the conversation away from the dance.

As Steve finishes his sandwich, he listens to Tony and Bruce’s conversation, only half paying attention. He’s got an idea taking root and he thinks, if he can pull it off, it’ll be amazing. Perfect, even.

First, he needs to talk to Happy and Jarvis.

* * *

Steve gets dressed at Bucky’s house. He fidgets with the bowtie until Becca slaps his hand away.

“Don’t even think about touching your hair,” she says. “It’s perfect and if I find out you ruined all my hard work before pictures, I will end you.”

Steve takes a step back and holds his hands up in surrender.

Bucky walks into the living room with a cheeky grin. “How do I look?”

“Eh,” Becca doesn’t even look, just waves dismissively. “You’ll do.”

He looks great, per usual. He’s got a red dress shirt under his black suit jacket, which Steve knows matches Natasha’s red dress perfectly.

Steve’s phone buzzes in his pocket and he slides it out. There’s a message from Happy. “Ride’s here.”

Mrs. Barnes insists on a few pictures before they can escape the house. Happy’s waiting outside. He opens the back door for the limo and raises his hand for a high-five as they approach. Steve can’t help the grin that spreads across his face. Thor, Bruce, T’Challa, Nakia, Sam, Wanda, and Pietro are waiting inside.

“Took you long enough,” Wanda grumps, but there’s a smile on her face that takes any sting out of the words.

“Pictures,” Bucky says with a shrug as they settle in. The rest of the group nods in understanding. Becca and his mom had made him promise to take pictures of everyone tonight.

The limo makes two more stops, first to pick up Jane and Betty, then to get Natasha and Clint. The excitement in the group has them all fidgeting and chattering happily until they reach their destination. Jarvis meets them at the door. He winks and presses a finger to his lips. They can’t quite hold in the giggling, but Tony doesn’t appear so Steve assumes they’re quiet enough.

The bags Steve had stashed at the mansion earlier are waiting in the ballroom. Jarvis helps them hang streamers. Happy shows up with a mass of balloons. Clint, Natasha, and Bruce set out the snacks and desserts they’d made while T’Challa mixes soda and sherbet in a large punch bowl. Once the preparations are near complete, Jarvis hands Steve a garment bag and sends him upstairs with a grin.

Tony’s door is shut, but his music is loud enough for Steve to make out every word. He has to knock twice before Tony opens the door, his initial response of “Hey, Jarvis-“ dying on his lips once he takes in Steve.

“I...” Tony’s expression falls. “Steve, I really can’t go to the dance. It’s not...”

Steve knows this is more than Tony’s parents forbidding him. Happy and Jarvis had hinted as much. It’s the same reason they can never go out to the movies or the park without Happy chaperoning, something to do with how Tony broke his arm and what happened to his heart. Steve’s never asked. He figures Tony will tell him—tell them—when he’s ready.

“I know.” He presses the garment bag into Tony’s hands. “So we brought the dance to you.”

Tears glisten at the corner of Tony’s eyes but they stay there, unshed. “Steve...” The way Tony says his name in one long exhale, almost like a sigh, makes Steve’s knees weak.

“I thought, maybe, if you’d like, I could be your date?” Steve smiles at Tony, bashful and hopeful at the same time.

Tony’s entire face lights up. He nods, quick. “Yes!” The word comes out fast, like Tony’s afraid Steve will change his mind if Tony doesn’t agree immediately. “Absolutely. That would be great. Let me just...” Tony’s hand tightens around the hanger. “Just give me a minute to get changed.”

Steve smiles. “Take your time. I’ll be right here.”

If Steve wasn’t gone on Tony already, he would be after the smile that Tony levels at him. “Okay. Just wait... Be right back.”

Tony practically slams the door in Steve’s face. Steve knows he’s grinning like a loon but he can’t help it. He tries to tone it down when the door opens again, but he’s not very successful. Tony doesn’t seem to mind, since he’s got a matching grin on his face.

Steve offers Tony his arm to lead him downstairs to the ballroom. Tony does cry then, when Steve opens the door for them and they walk into the decorated ballroom. Sam switches the music on—a playlist they’ve all had input on—and the group descends to hug Tony. Steve dutifully breaks out his phone’s camera and takes pictures until Tony grabs him by the arm and demands a dance.

They don’t stop dancing after that, content to sway the night away in each other’s arms. It’s the best dance Steve’s ever been to.


End file.
